How to pronounce calque
Say it like KALK. Calque is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce calque. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- KALK
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Calque pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- KALKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
American vs British pronunciation of calque
American and British speakers say calque in essentially the same way: /kælk/ in the US and /kælk/ in the UK.
British respelling: KALK.
What does calque mean?
- A word or phrase in a language formed by word-for-word or morpheme-by-morpheme translation of a word in another language.
- To adopt (a word or phrase) from one language to another by semantic translation of its parts.
Where does calque come from?
From French calque (“calque”, literally “copy, tracing”), from calquer (“to copy, trace”) (whence also calk), itself borrowed from Italian calcare, from Latin calcāre (“to tread”).
Words that rhyme with calque
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of calque.
Questions about saying calque
How do you pronounce calque?
Say KALK. The American pronunciation is /kælk/. In British English it is /kælk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in calque?
Calque is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: KALK.
Do Americans and Brits say calque the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /kælk/ and the British form is /kælk/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.